The Tremor Tetralogy: Jeeves and Glory
by 03082010
Summary: Jeeves Tremor discovers that an old friend was murdered and as he goes out to seek the killer, he finds something more that he bargained for. He uncovers the power of family, the influence of love and the advantage of being an assassin.
1. Promise

Standing in the rustic kitchen of the old farmhouse is the middle brother, Lester Tremor. He wields a spatula in one hand and the handle of a pan in the other. He shuffles scrambled eggs onto a white plate and he reaches down, unfastening the apron away from his sturdy body. The kitchen appliances are placed into the warm water to soak and he whistles, calling his two brothers to the table for breakfast. Lester combs his fingers through his dark brown hair.

"_Darwin! Jeeves! Breakfast is ready_," he hollers.

He moves around the table to add the finishing touches. Lester pours coffee into one mug and he fills a large glass with orange juice. A door opens down the hallway, and out emerges the oldest brother, Darwin Tremor. He fixes his cobalt eyes on his mug when he appears, tugging a sleeveless shirt over his stomach. Darwin nods to his brother and he lifts the hot drink to his lips.

Lester looks over his shoulder as he turns away from the sink, furrowing his eyebrows.

"_Where's Jeevesie at?_" he asks his older brother.

Darwin shrugs, grabbing his fork to move potatoes onto his plate. Lester reaches for his wooden spoon, knocking his brother on his knuckles without glancing down. He searches the rooms with his eyes, and Darwin exhales.

Unexpectedly, the kitchen door opens and the youngest brother, Jeeves Tremor, steps inside. He touches his lips, pulling a chicken feather out of his mouth. Lester sighs, picking up a broom and he scoots Jeeves back outside before he molts everywhere on his clean floor. Darwin shakes his head, unfolding the newspaper. Lester helps Jeeves brush the feathers off his shoulders and back, and his messy brother looks at the food on the table.

"_This is why we can't have nice things. What were ya doin' botherin' them chickens?_"

Jeeves ruffles his own hair, watching feathers rain down on the porch.

"_I gave them some leftover cornbread from last night's dinner. They attacked me an' I dropped the pan on the ground an' they jumped on me when I tried ta clean the mess up._"

Lester sighs, and even though it sounds like an aggravated one, he feels amused more than annoyed. He plucks the last feather away and he nods to the kitchen.

"_Get on in there an' eat your breakfast while I clean this mess up_," he grumbles.

Jeeves removes his boots and he steps inside. Darwin uses his finger to fold the corner of the newspaper back to look at his brother sweeping the chicken feathers off the porch and he moves his finger back into place. Jeeves grabs each spoon from every breakfast dish and he creates a small mountain of food on his plate.

Darwin folds the newspaper back, reading the main article. The title reads, _Owner of the 1975 garage, murdered last night_, and Darwin looks over at his younger brother. He gets up from the table and he steps outside, shutting the kitchen door behind him. Lester is in the yard, feeding the chickens with their proper food and he looks up to see Darwin approaching him.

"_What's wrong?_" he asks.

"_The garage owner of 1975 was murdered last night. Jeeves was friends with the old man._"

Lester takes a moment to wonder how his morning could have turned ugly. He looks at the kitchen door to see Jeeves starting at them with his plate on the palm of his hand and his mouth filled with food. Lester touches Darwin on the shoulder, turning their backs to him.

"_Shit, how are we gonna tell him? Ya know how he gets._"

Darwin hands his brother the newspaper, scratching the spiral tattoo on his right shoulder. Lester skims the article, shaking his head at the lack of work the police have done during the night, but it comes to no surprise. He hands the newspaper back to Darwin.

"_He's starin' at us out the window. He knows somethin' is wrong_," Darwin grumbles.

They talk like a married couple, trying to figure out how to break bad new to their son, and Lester rubs the back of his neck. He looks down at his boots, picking an approach.

"_We'll tell him together. It ain't gonna be easier on him if only one o' us does it._"

Lester and Darwin walk back to the house, and Darwin wipes his feet on the mat while Lester removes his boots as Jeeves opens the door. His body fills the doorway, and for being the youngest brother; he certainly does not look like it. Darwin and Lester step inside the kitchen, and Jeeves sits down on his chair again.

"_What were yew two talkin' 'bout?_" he asks with an innocence tone.

Lester clears his throat, sitting next to him. He touches Jeeves on the arm, trying to figure out how to explain the unexpected death of his elderly friend.

"_Kenny's dead_" Darwin blurts out.

Jeeves slowly places his spoon down on his plate and he looks to Lester to read his expression. Darwin places the newspaper on the table, and Jeeves grabs it to read the headline. His bottom lips starts to quiver and Lester rubs his back to console him.

"_There, there, Jeevesie. I know ya were friends with him_," he says comfortingly.

Jeeves sniffles, rubbing his eye to stop the tears from coming out. Lester shoots a look at Darwin, and he keeps rubbing the back of his crestfallen brother.

"_Maybe you can drive down ta his garage an' pay him some respects._"

Darwin takes a drink of coffee, continuing to eat his breakfast. He was not the one to mother his baby brother when they were growing up. Their father raised them to be killers and men, and he taught them to get over things fast before it damaged you. Darwin was born to be the next leader, and he was raised to overcome everything. But despite his insensitivity, he felt something.

Jeeves take a deep breath, nodding his head.

"_I'll go into town ta visit his shop today_," he sadly murmurs.

Lester ruffles the lazy Mohawk on the head of his baby brother, and he nods to the living room. Jeeves grabs the newspaper, moving to sit on the couch to watch some cartoons. Lester stares at Darwin, and Darwin stares back at him. Tension. Jeeves switches the television on and the Looney Tunes theme song starts to play, breaking the seriousness of the moment. Lester begins to clear the table while a stuttering hunter stalks a famous rabbit. He turns his back to face the sink, dipping his hands into the lukewarm water.

"_That was a real asshole move, Dar_" Lester scolds.

Darwin halfheartedly rolls his eyes and he stares at the television, but he focuses on the conversation. He tilts the mug to his lips before answering.

"_I figured the sooner we get it over with, the sooner he'll get over it._"

Lester shakes his head without glancing over his shoulder. He drains the water in the sink and he starts to wipe the plates dry. He looks out the window at the willow tree near the pond and the reflection of its long limbs dances in his spectacles.

"_Ya know Jeeves is different. He ain't like us, which is why we need ta be sensitive ta his emotions. The last thing we need is fer him ta put his fist through the wall again_."

Darwin looks over at the wall Jeeves assaulted and the reason for it was because he had a nightmare about his mother again. Mad women create monsters and mad men create killers. Jeeves is a little of both. His chuckle echoes from the living room, and Darwin watches him grin at the misfortune of the hunter as the rabbit escapes.

"_I guess that's why he favors you over me_," Darwin says.

Lester places the last dish on the wooden rack to dry and he finally turns around, resting his backside against the counter. He wipes his hands, studying the tone his brother used. Darwin was constantly running away from home to explore the world and study human behavior from the point of view of a vagabond. It shaped him into the leader he is today, but it came with a price. Lester was left to raise Jeeves. He was left to endure the verbal abuse from their father, Fritz Tremor, while he did his best to be a caretaker for his baby brother.

"_He don't favor me because I nearly raised him singlehandedly. He favors me because I understand what he is, an' I do things in ways he's familiar an' comfortable with. Not what I'm familiar an' comfortable with. Do ya see what I'm gettin' at?_" Lester explains.

Darwin exhales. He understands, but conversations like this are not something he is familiar and comfortable with. He abandons his coffee mug, and he heads back down the hallway to remove himself from the situation. Lester lets him leave.

The Tremor brothers go about their afternoon duties, as the day grows older. Darwin cleans his firearms and he sharpens his machetes, and Lester does the laundry and he checks the other two floors of the house to make sure the guestrooms are secured. He changes a light bulb in one of the bathrooms and he changes the sheets in four bedrooms. He heads back down to discover Jeeves putting his jacket on near the front door.

"_I can come with ya_," he offers.

Jeeves fixes his collar, looking at Lester from the corner of his eye and he hesitantly shakes his head. He opens the door and he steps out to put his boots on. Lester comes down from the steps and he stands near the door to see his brother off.

"_I'll be back in two hours. I got ma cell phone with me._"

Lester rubs the wide back of his brother, and Jeeves sadly sighs. He heads to the garage to reverse his black truck out and he drives down the dirt road to pullout onto the main road. Lester closes the door, hoping that he finds solace by the time he returns. He heads down the hallway to inform Darwin that Jeeves went into town and he sees that Darwin was looking out the window, too. He elects not to say anything and he turns to continue cleaning.

Jeeves drives into town and his truck pulls up near the market. He gets out to walk among the many vendors and stands owned by the local farmers and local families, searching to buy flowers for Kenny. He buys a bouquet of white daises, and he leaves. Jeeves gets back into his truck and he travels to the other street to where the sidewalk ends. He gets out to look at the closed off garage. The police are nowhere to be found, but yellow tape surrounds the crime scene. Jeeves did not come here to only pay his respects, but to find out what happened to his old friend. He read the article, and it was a murder. Jeeves has known Kenny for years and he had no enemies because the whole town loved and knew him.

Jeeves looks around before he decides to pass the tape and he has to duck down low. He grips the overhead door with two hands, pulling it up to reveal what is inside. He sees a pool of dry blood on the floor and he stares at it for a long time before stepping in. He takes a moment to gather some mental strength, and he sees a trail of dry blood drops leading to the tool board. One of the tools is missing, and he suspects that it was the murder weapon. The police must have taken it in as evidence for the case.

He looks around the shop, trying to find some clues that the police examiners might have missed. This is a small town where murder does not make the headlines. Someone must have heard or seen something, and he is hell-bent on finding answers.

Jeeves notices that the taillight of the car is missing, but that is why the car is in the garage. He looks under the back bumper, spotting a piece of red plastic on the ground. It came from the broken taillight. He looks under the car to further investigate.

Without warning, someone creeps up behind him and hits his back with a baseball bat. Jeeves snarls in pain, swinging his fist back to hit his attacker. His knuckles miss their target and he sprints to the garage door, sliding it shut to lock himself in with the bat wielder.

"_Come out! I know yew killed Kenny!_" he demands and proclaims.

He sees a shadow move behind the car and he walks over to the tool board, grabbing a wrench to defend himself. Though Jeeves, a man standing nearly seven feet tall, does not need a weapon. He waits to hear feedback from the intruder.

"_I didn't kill Kenny! He was my friend and he let me stay here_," a small voice responds.

Jeeves slowly lowers the heavy wrench, noticing that it is the voice of a young girl. He sniffs in her direction and he places the tool back on the board.

"_He was ma friend, too._"

He gazes at the back of the car and he sees a flash of brown curly hair bounce to the left of the bumper. A small hand touches the cold steel and he sees brown eyes stare back at him. Her eyes are large, doe-like and Jeeves shows her his empty hands. She slowly steps away from the car to show herself and she is wearing a yellow sundress with pins in her hair. She must be at least two feet shorter than he is. The bat is still in her hands.

"_Why are you here?_" she wonders.

Jeeves nods to the bouquet of white daises on the floor and he sits down on the bench to put her at ease. The girl looks at it and then she looks back to him.

"_I was here ta pay ma respects an' I wanted ta find out who murdered him._"

The girl slowly places the baseball bat down on the table and she picks up the bouquet, smelling the flowers. She stares at him with her big eyes.

"_I heard Kenny talking to someone the night it happened._"

Jeeves realizes that she might be able to tell him who the murderer is, and she is probably the only person to have witnessed anything. He stands up from the bench and the girl backs away, glancing at the bat. Jeeves steps near the overhead door to create distance.

"_Where are yer parents? Why are yew stayin' with Kenny?_" he questions.

The girl rubs her eyes, hugging the bouquet to her chest. She stares at the puddle of dry blood on the floor between them, and she explains.

"_My parents moved back to Germany and they sent me to foster care because they couldn't take care of me anymore. They gave me baths there and the people were mean to me. I ran away for a long time and I came to this town because I was getting tired of moving to different places. I was hungry, so I went into this garage because there was food. Kenny found me eating his sandwich and he told me I could stay with him and now I'm homeless again._"

Jeeves considers how important she is in regards to the murder of their friend, and he also considers that she has no home or anyone to look after her anymore.

"_Ma name is Jeeves. What's yer name?_"

The short girl rubs her nose with the palm of her hand and she comes closer, looking way, way up at him. Jesus, how old can she be?

"_Hi, I'm Glory!_" she exclaims.

Jeeves scratches the side of his head, wondering how to put his next words. He worries about convincing his brothers to let a girl live with them, but he cannot leave her here. It is apparent that the police did not find any traces of her existence and since she ran away from the foster home, no one has been able to find her. She is off the radar like they are.

"_Glory, do yew wanna come an' live with me? I got two brother an' we live in a place that's got lots of animals. Do yew like animals?_"

Her eyes widen when she hears that he has animals and she ducks under his legs, trying to tug the garage door up by herself. Jeeves lifts his right leg when she swoops under him and he picks up the bouquet of daises. He places it on the workbench where Kenny always sat and he removes a picture of his friend from the wall, tucking it into his pocket. Jeeves walks over to Glory and he grabs the other handle, lifting the overhead up to let the dimming light in.

She runs out and she jumps up to look in the window of his truck.

"_Is this yours? Are we going home now? I'm hungry._"

Jeeves unlocks the truck door to answer her first question and he looks her over, noticing that she is a little on the thin side. Glory scrambles into his truck and he gets in after her. The truck rumbles on and he turns around to head back the other way.

"_We can pick up some pizza on the way back home_," he suggests.

He thinks about the murder and finding Glory, and what his brothers are going to say. It makes him nervous and he nearly drives pass the pizza parlor. He turns into the parking lot, and he leaves the truck running as he steps outside. Glory slides over to his side, poking her head out of the open window.

"_Where are you going? Can I come with you?_" she asks.

Jeeves is about to answer when his cell phone vibrates in his pocket and he takes it out to see that Lester has sent him a text message. Jeeves responds back, telling him that he will be home in twenty minutes and then he looks at the parlor. He considers letting Glory come with him, but since she has to be kept safe, he shakes his head.

"_I won't be long. Yew can stay in the car an' listen ta music._"

Glory pouts, not enjoying the fact that she will be left alone for ten minutes, but she plays with the knobs to change the radio station. Jeeves enters the parlor to wait in line and leave his order. Outside in the truck, Glory makes the music louder.

"_Apple bottom jeans! Boots with the fur!_" she sings.

Some of the customers look out the window at the truck to see a girl singing her lungs off and Jeeves ducks his head down, hoping the line moves faster.

After five minutes, the line moves and Jeeves is standing at the counter with his wallet in his hand. He orders three large pizzas and he waits near the window, watching Glory through the glass. Ten minutes goes by and then another, and the pizzas are finally ready. He exits the parlor and he gets back into his truck, turning the hip-hop music down.

He places the pizza boxes on the seat and Glory opens the one on the top, grabbing a slice. She begins to eat it. He glances at her once they are on the main road and he figures that she probably has not eaten anything since yesterday.

After some driving, the black truck rushes into the bushes off the side of the road and Jeeves turns on his windshield wipers to sweep the leaves and branches away. Glory stares at the three-story farmhouse with large eyes and pizza sauce on her face.

"_Your house has a big_," she whispers in awe.

Jeeves grins at her infectious excitement. He pulls the truck into the garage, staring at the kitchen window in his side-mirror as the engine settles.

"_I'm gonna go inside an' leave the pizza on the table an' talk ta ma' brothers. They don't know I brought yew home yet. Yew need ta stay in here._"

Glory sucks some pizza sauce off her fingers, getting out of the truck with him. Jeeves glances at her before he enters the kitchen with the pizza, hoping that he can pull this off.

Lester is stirring a pot of corn chowder on the stove and Jeeves places the pizza boxes down on the table, removing his jacket at the door. Darwin is in the living room with his feet on the table, watching the History channel. Lester looks at his brother over the top of his spectacles.

"_Hey there, Jeeves. I see ya brought pizza._"

Jeeves nods his head, darting his eyes out the kitchen window at the garage. Lester nods at the sink, as he tastes the chowder. The steam fogs his vision.

"_Wash yer hands before you eat_," Lester instructs.

Jeeves grabs the small bar of soap and he rubs it between his palms as the warm water runs over his hands. Darwin notices the slight change in his behavior, but he assumes that it is because he had a long day. He does not assume anything else. After he dries his hands, Jeeves heads for the hallway and he turns to make a startling announcement.

"_I ain't so hungry. I'm just gonna go ta sleep._"

Lester turns with a somewhat shocked look on his face and Darwin looks at him, too. This is not like their baby brother. Jeeves has been banned from two buffets in town for consuming so much food. Lester catches the look of suspicious on the face of his older brother, and he looks back at Jeeves. Something is amiss.

"_I'll be there in a few minutes ta tuck you in_," he says reassuringly.

Jeeves creeps to his bedroom and he changes out of his clothes. He hopes that Glory stays quiet in the garage while he waits for his brothers to turn in for the night. Within an hour, Lester comes in to say goodnight to Jeeves and he tells him a story about his childhood when they were apart and then he leaves to fold the last of the laundry. Another hour goes by, and Lester closes his bedroom door to go to sleep and then an hour later, Darwin closes his bedroom door to rest. Finally, after waiting three hours to get Glory, Jeeves sneaks out.

"_Glory?_" Jeeves whispers.

He shines the flashlight around the garage and she is not in the bed of the truck or in the truck itself. Jeeves is about to panic until he sees her sleeping on a pile of rags in the corner. The bright light shining on her face wakes her up, and she yawns.

"_Hi. You didn't tell me I could sleep in your truck, so I didn't. I hope I can sleep here._"

Jeeves feels something stir in his chest when he realizes that she believes that he expected her to sleep in the garage like she did before. He feels protective of the small girl. Glory reaches up and she holds his hand, and whatever he is feeling, it is paralyzing him.

"_Come inside the house with me. Yew can sleep in one of the spare rooms upstairs, but yew need ta stay up there an' be quiet. Don't flush the toilet, either. Ma brothers are gonna hear it._"

He turns off the flashlight and he wraps his fingers around her tiny hand, moving her away from the rags on the floor. Jeeves sneaks her back into the house, undetected, and he leads her to the second floor of the farmhouse.

Jeeves picks the room right above his, and he opens the door to check everything out. Glory runs to look out the window to see a view of the ocean beyond the cliff. She twirls around, touching all the books on the shelf and she jumps on the bed, wrapping the sheets around her. Jeeves opens the drawer, taking out a box of matches and he lights the candles on the dresser to illuminate the dark bedroom. Glory rubs her eyes, yawning again.

"_Jeeves, are you going to find out who killed Kenny?_" she sleepily whispers.

Jeeves closes the drawer after placing the matches back into it, and he stands near the doorway. He knows that it is going to be hard, but Glory has information that might help.

"_Yeah, I'm gonna find out who killed Kenny._"

Glory slowly blinks at him, noticing how the darkness makes him appear shorter because it blurs the outline of his body. She smiles softly at him from across the room.

"_Promise?_"

Jeeves thinks about the missing taillight and the piece of plastic he found in the garage, and he keeps that in mind. This might not be too hard to figure out, but everything is riding on a few hunches. Jeeves nods his head and he grabs the doorknob.

"_I promise._"

Jeeves steps out into the hallway, closing the door behind him. He heads back downstairs to his bedroom and he lies down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. The next few weeks are going to be hard, especially on her. Glory.

He does not know if he feels protective of her because she is the only one that can find the person that murdered Kenny or if it is something else. When he lives up to his promise, he will know then. Jeeves closes his eyes, letting his dreams pull him under.


	2. Conflict

The robins cry in the trees and they flutter their wings in a flurry as they soar pass the bedroom windows. Jeeves mumbles, dangling his leg over the edge of the bed when the sounds of morning stir him from his deep slumber. He huffs out a grunt, stretching his long arms and legs, and he slowly opens his eyes.

"_Ah!_" he shouts.

The back of his head hits the headboard when he comes face to face with Glory. Somehow, she managed to make her way downstairs and into his bedroom. She smiles brightly at him.

"_Hi! I was cold and alone and I had a scared, so I came to sleep in your bed about an hour after you left. I also ate some of the corn chowder, it was yummy._"

Jeeves hears a knock at the door and he touches the back of his head, leaning up. He bundles the blankets over Glory, tapping his finger to his mouth to tell her to be quiet.

"_Jeevesie, you okay in there?_" Lester asks.

He gets out of the bed and he opens the door, blocking the view of his bed. Lester stares at him, raising an eyebrow quizzically.

"_Good mornin', Lester. I'm okay. I just had a bad dream an' it made me hit ma head on the headboard_" Jeeves responds.

Lester tries to look over or under his shoulder, but the massive bulk that is his baby brother, prevents him from seeing anything. Lester motions to the kitchen.

"_Fine an' dandy. Ya go on an' sit at the table. It's time fer some breakfast._"

Jeeves uses his wide chest to scoot Lester away from his bedroom and he closes the door behind him, flashing his brother a grin. He heads down the hallway, bare-chested in the morning light and Darwin is sitting at the head of the table. He looks over at Jeeves when he takes a seat, buttering his toast.

"_How was yesterday? Did you talk to any people?_"

Jeeves looks at Darwin and he quickly averts his eyes, knowing too well that his brother has the ability to read people. Jeeves shrugs his freckled shoulders.

"_It was okay. I went ta the garage an' I left him some white daises._"

Darwin takes a bite of his toast, looking over at Lester. Usually about this time, Jeeves would have half of every dish on his plate, but not this morning. Darwin motions to his bare plate with his toast point and crumbs tumble from his mouth.

"_You still ain't hungry? You must be comin' down with somethin'_" Darwin implies.

Jeeves darts a glance at each brother, and he grabs the spoon to the dish closest to him, tapping the handle against the curve of his plate to dispense the food. He does not respond to that comment. Lester places the washcloth down and he walks over to Jeeves, placing a hand on his forehead to check his temperature.

"_It seems normal._"

Lester examines his brother, checking for any signs of sluggishness or crust under his nose or dryness of the lips. He is the doctor of the family. After considering all the possibilities, Lester believes that it can only be one thing. He heads for the hallway.

"_Where are yew goin'?_"

Darwin watches this, and Lester pauses near the guest bathroom. Something is going on. It must be another animal that Jeeves has hidden in his bedroom. Last week, he brought a snapping turtle into the house and it was swimming around in his bathtub. The week before that, he had ducks in his closet. At one point, his bedroom turned into a zoo.

"_I was goin' ta your bedroom._"

Lester turns around to face him, and then he continues.

"_Jeevesie, we know that yer hidin' somethin' from us. It looks like ya didn't sleep well an' if it ain't a cold, then you must have another varmint in there._"

Jeeves gets up from the table and he runs over to the hallway, blocking Lester from heading to his bedroom. Lester looks up at him, folding his tattooed arms.

"_Darwin, I could use a little help here_," Lester mutters over his shoulder.

Darwin exhales, and he gets up from the table and he stands in front of Jeeves. He nods over his shoulder, wanting passage to his bedroom.

"_Move, Jeeves. The last thing I…_" Darwin goes silent.

A strange sound emanates from the kitchen, and when he turns to look at the source of the noise, Glory is sitting on the table with her legs crossed, eating scrambled eggs by the handful. The brothers stare at her with bewildered eyes.

Glory scratches her eyebrow, getting a smudge of egg on her forehead. She smiles at them, waving her small hand.

"_Hi, I'm Glory! You must be Jeeves' brothers._"

Lester and Darwin turn their heads to stare at Jeeves, and he stands there with his mouth slightly open. He wonders how she managed to leave his bedroom and get around them without someone seeing her. She surely is quick on her feet.

Darwin starts to chuckle, shaking Jeeves by his shoulder.

"_Nice job, little brother_" Darwin praises him.

Lester rubs the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes to prevent the headache from spreading. He removes his spectacles, looking back at the girl sitting on the table.

"_Jeeves, how old is she? That's really my only concern._"

Jeeves shrugs his shoulders, watching Glory eat some potatoes off his plate. He forgot to ask her that question, not that it really matted to him at the time. He does not even know what Darwin is happy about and why her age is important.

"_I ain't sure. I just brought her home_," he answers.

Lester covers his face, groaning against his hands. Darwin starts to chuckle again, finding it amusing that his baby brother decided to find a random girl and bring her home. He walks over to the table, sitting back down in his chair again, and Lester and Jeeves watch him.

"_Where did you meet my brother?_" he asks.

Glory takes a few gulps of orange juice and she wipes her mouth with her hand.

"_He found me in Kenny's garage. Kenny let me stay with him when I ran away from the foster home people, and I hit Jeeves with the bat because I thought he was bad._"

Darwin changes his expression once she explains, and he looks over at Lester again and then Lester looks up at Jeeves.

"_Jeeves, yer tellin' me that you found this girl in Kenny's garage an' ya brought her home? Where was she stayin' last night when ya came back?_"

Darwin grabs a beer in the fridge and he dumps the coffee out in the sink and then he refills his mug. Glory cheerfully chimes in, not aware of the situation.

"_I was staying in your garage last night and I feel asleep there because Jeeves told me to wait because he said that he didn't want his brothers to know that I was here and then he let me sleep in a bedroom upstairs, but he said not to flush the toilet because it would make noise._"

Glory pauses to take a breath and just before Darwin is about to speak, she continues telling them the events that took place last night.

"_I peed in the toilet, but I didn't flush and then I came downstairs to find some food and I ate some chowder and it was yummy and then I went to find Jeeves because I had a lonely. Oh, and he gave me pizza yesterday, too._"

Lester takes a moment to assess the situation, and he calmly walks into the kitchen to stand near the sink. He leans against the counter, folding his arms across his chest and he remains quiet. Jeeves follows him, wondering just how much trouble he is in this time. Lester looks at his baby brother, and he looks at Glory.

"_How old are ya, sweetheart?_"

That is the first question to answer, and Glory slips her fingers into her mouth.

"_I'm seventeen, but I'm going to be eighteen soon. Why?_"

Darwin raises his eyebrow, having guessed her to be fifteen or sixteen. He looks at her and then he looks at Jeeves, finding a similarity between the two of them. Attitude wise. He takes a swig from his mug, listening to the conversation.

Lester nods his head, relieved that she is close to being the 'age of consent,' but after hearing what she did last night, it does not sound like anything sexual happened. He tries to think of this from the perspective of his baby brother. Jeeves is heartbroken to find out that his friend was murdered. He goes down to the garage to pay his respects and then he finds Glory. He takes her home, but why? It dawns on him.

"_Did you see Kenny get murdered?_" he quietly asks.

She shakes her head.

"_No, but I heard him arguing with someone and something cracked and then the garage door closed. I was scared, so I didn't go to see what happened. When Kenny didn't come back and the police came to search the garage, I hid upstairs until they left._"

Lester watches Jeeves react to her words and he realizes what his brother was trying to do.

Glory is a witness and she needs to be kept safe.

Jeeves had a reason, which is good enough for him.

"_I'll be upstairs on the second floor ta make sure yer room is satisfactory._"

Lester gives Darwin a look, and he walks around the corner to head upstairs to flush the toilet and check her bedroom. When it comes to making decisions, they each vote, but Darwin is the leader and what he says goes. He excuses himself from the table, and he heads upstairs to find Lester in the guestroom. He is fluffing her pillows and he opens the window to let some air in to kill the staleness of the atmosphere.

"_We're gonna let this girl live with us, just like that_" Darwin says.

It was not a question, more of a statement that was solidified without his vote. Lester does not look up from his task, and he heads into the bathroom to flush the toilet.

"_Well, what do ya want us ta do? Kick the poor girl out?_"

Darwin slightly narrows his eyes, aware of what his brother is trying to make him do. Consider. He does not want to put this girl out on the streets and he does not want to put her into foster care. Being the leader, and having to deal with unwanted clients, he is mindful about the things that happen in those places. There are too many children for the workers to take care of, not enough people on staff and not enough people to protect the children from each other.

Lester comes out of the bathroom with a bucket of diluted water and latex gloves on his hands. He tosses a wiping cloth on his shoulder, getting on his knees to scrub the floor. He speaks, but his head remains down.

"_Ya know, not every girl is Tanya._"

Darwin alters his stance and his shoulders square, not appreciating the lengths Lester is going to make him realize something he already knows. The blueness of his eyes brightens, and he rubs his fingers together, which is similar to the rattlesnake shaking its tail. It is a warning. Lester does not see this, but he can feel the atmosphere of the bedroom change. He continues to scrub the dusty floorboards.

"_If you don't want her here, then yer gonna have ta be the one ta throw the girl out an' explain ta Jeeves what the problem is_" he adds.

By the time Lester looks up, Darwin is gone. He walks downstairs to the kitchen to see Glory standing on the counter and she is looking at the jars of cookies and crackers on the shelf. Jeeves is sitting on his chair, supervising her. He straightens up when he sees Darwin, and Glory looks at him, slipping her fingers in her mouth.

Darwin considers saying something, but he heads to the kitchen door and he lifts his car key off the hook on the wall.

"_I'm gonna be workin' on the Pontiac_."

He opens the door and he steps outside.

Glory grabs a jar of cookies, perching herself on the counter to nibble. The lid of the jar is twisted open and she stuffs a small chocolate chip cookie into her mouth.

"_Your brother has a scary. I don't think he likes me_," Glory assumes.

Jeeves gets up from his chair and he looks out the window to watch Darwin slide under his Pontiac. He lets out a long sigh, a serious expression on his face.

"_I want yew ta stay. Lester wants yew ta stay. Darwin's the leader of the house an' his word is law, but Lester must have persuaded him_."

Glory stuffs another cookie into her mouth, distracted by the sweet treats. Jeeves glances over his shoulder, lifting the hem of his pajama top to expose his muscular stomach to the sunlight shining in through the window at the base of the curtain. With a twist and swoop of his forearm, he sheds his pajama top. Jeeves heads for the hallway.

Glory slides off the counter and when Jeeves looks behind him, she has become his shadow. Jeeves reaches his bedroom door and he turns around.

"_I'm gonna take a bath. Yew can watch television in the livin' room or yew can play with ma toys. I got crayons an' paper_," Jeeves suggests.

He opens his bedroom door and Glory rejects his suggestion by swooping in and jumping on his bed. Jeeves leaves the door ajar, giving her a big box of crayons and pieces of paper from his desk to keep her busy. He tosses his pajama top into the open hamper and he steps into the bathroom, turning on the water in his bathtub. He bends over to plug the drain and he loosens the waistline of his pajama bottoms. Jeeves waits for the water to heat.

Glory starts to draw a picture of a house on a hill near the ocean and she looks around the bedroom. Stuffed animals are on the floor, crayons are scattered everywhere on the dressers and a chainsaw lies heavy on the desk in the corner. There are posters of cartoon characters on the wall, and he seems to favor one in particular, which is a talking sponge. Glory lowers her head, filling in the color of the house beneath her bent knuckles.

Jeeves leans over to see that she is distracted and he quickly removes his pajama bottoms, slipping into the hot water. He sinks down to his shoulders, closing his blue eyes. Today is going to be the day that he talks to Glory about Kenny, and what she heard. He just hopes she remembers and that she is comfortable to talk about it. The longer it takes, the colder the case gets. He cannot afford her to forget any of the details. While Jeeves is thinking, he hears trickling water and when he opens his eyes, Glory is sitting on the toilet. He stares at her and he sweeps the surface of the water to cover his body with bubbles.

"_I had to pee._"

Glory pats herself dry and Jeeves watches her slide off the toilet. She lets her dress drop down to her ankles as she spots the toys floating in the water. She squeals with joy. Glory gets on her knees and then she sticks her hands in the water. Jeeves straightens up when her hands disappear under the blue, feeling her fingertips brush against his knees and he grips the sides of the bathtub. Glory moves a plastic ship across the bubbles.

"_Uh_" Jeeves begins.

Glory pays no attention to his discomfort and when the ship taps against the porcelain, she sticks her hand in the water again. She ends up grabbing something other than a bath toy and Jeeves flails his hands out of the water, splashing it everywhere. He gropes for a towel, wrapping it around his waist as he rushes out of the bathroom. Glory sits on the floor, wiping the water away from her eyes and she watches him leaves. Not understanding what she grabbed to make him so jumpy, she shrugs her small shoulders and goes back to playing.

Lester is just coming down the stairs to see his brother rush out of his bedroom and he furrows his eyebrows at him.

"_Whoa, where's the fire?_"

Jeeves grabs his brother by the shoulders, staring into his eyes with a look of fear.

"_She peed in ma toilet an' she played with ma bath toys an' she accidentally grabbed ma… She grabbed ma…_"

He tries to find the right word for _it_, but he cannot seem to find one. Lester touches Jeeves on the forearm, dropping his hand from his shoulder and he walk around his half naked brother, heading for his bedroom to deal with the situation. When the brothers stand in the doorway of the bathroom, Glory is sitting in the bathtub with her dress still on. She looks over at them.

"_You have nice toys, but I don't know what I grabbed earlier. I can't find it in here. Did you take it with you?_"

Jeeves blushes to express his embarrassment. Lester pats Jeeves on his wide back, nodding to the long hallway where the main bathroom is.

"_Finish takin' yer bath in the guest bathroom. I'll stay here with her,_" Lester says.

Jeeves watches Glory play with his toys and he grabs a change of clothes, heading out into the hallway to the guest bathroom. Lester rolls up his sleeves. Glory twirls around in the water, creating a mountain of bubbles with her small hands.

"_It would probably be better if ya took yer clothes off. It's kinda the oldest rule in the book ta bathe naked. Heh_" he softly chuckles.

Glory lifts her soaked dress over her head and she wiggles her body to get it off, but the collar of her dress is trapped around her neck. Lester reaches under her chin to loosen the button and he helps her pull the dress away from her body. He wrings it in his hands to remove the water and hangs it on the towel rack to let it dry for the time being. She sheds her undergarments and Lester adverts his eyes.

When she sits naked in the bathtub, the bubbles swarm her shoulders and she begins to play with the toys again. Lester flushes the toilet, closing the lid to sit on it.

"_Will I be able to live here forever? Am I going to be kicked out?_" she wonders.

Lester rubs the back of his neck, thinking about his conversation with Darwin in the guestroom. He leans over to slide the bottle of shampoo closer to her reach, and she studies his face.

"_Well, I had a talk with my brother an' he wasn't too thrilled with the idea, but he didn't object ta it. Ya can stay here as long as ya like._"

Glory blinks her brown eyes at him, registering his words and she looks down to focus on the grueling task of shipping bubbles to the other side of the bathtub. Lester watches her play with the toys and he notices the same absence he saw in Jeeves when he was around her age. More and more, he can see why his baby brother brought her home. This has less to do with the case and more to do with her.

"_Can you wash my hair?_"

She holds out the shampoo bottle to Lester and it only validates what he is coming to realize. He takes the shampoo bottle and he gets down on his knees near the bathtub. Glory closes her eyes, slightly tilting her head back.

"_I won't pull yer hair like them people at the foster home probably did. It's no wonder why ya dislike baths. Don't ya fret none_," he ensures her.

He cups some water into his hand and he wets her hair to stretch her bouncy curls out. Lester begins to remember what it felt like to give someone a bath. He had to bathe Darwin once or twice because he broke two fingers on his left hand and he broke his right wrist, but that was because he had to. He used to bathe Jeeves for a different reason. Sure, he was old enough to wash himself, but after he killed his abusive mother and ran away, he lived in the woods and became feral. When he eventually found his way back home, it was difficult for him to adjust. He would snap and bite at Darwin, so Lester was the only one to be able to wash him without getting nipped at. It took Jeeves more than ten years to get better and even now, he still has nightmares and he goes on rampages.

Rumors circulated that they had one mother and three different fathers, but that was told to throw people off. They have it wrong. They have three different mothers and one father.

"_I like Jeeves. He's my friend, but I don't know if he likes me. He looked mad._"

Lester gently washes her hair, coming back to the present.

"_Heck, he likes ya. Jeevesie used ta be real skittish around females, but he seems ta be comfortable around you. He don't let just anyone eat from his plate. When he was a little fella, he would try ta nip me if I took his plate away before he was completely done._"

Lester shows Glory the scar on the side of his hand, educating her about Jeeves. It brings a grin to his face and he grabs the plastic cup floating in the water, using it to wash the shampoo out from her hair.

He looks at her wrinkled and wet dress hanging on the rack, and he gets to his feet, stepping into the bedroom. He grabs a large flannel shirt out from the drawer and he returns to the bathroom with it in hand.

"_Ya can wear this shirt. It's big enough an' it's probably gonna fit you like a dress._"

He hangs it next to the dress and he opens a towel for her, looking off to the side. Lester hears the water drip on the floor and he wraps the towel around air. He nearly falls into the bathtub when he realizes that Glory is gone. He looks around to see her sitting naked on the bed, picking up a crayon to color. Lester grabs the flannel shirt from the rack and he comes to the bed, sliding his knee on the mattress.

Glory continues to draw while Lester helps her with the flannel shirt and he buttons it from the top to the bottom, not wanting her to feel uncomfortable being naked in front of three grown men. He blinks his eyes, thinking himself foolish. This is not the type of girl that shows any embarrassment. She is a wild child, practically a feral animal.

"_Does this look like a turtle to you?_" she asks, holding up the piece of paper.

He looks at the turtle with the purple shell and the green legs.

"_It sure does look like a turtle, honey. Good job. We can hang that up on the fridge when yer done with yer masterpiece._"

Lester moves off the bed to give Glory some extra space, not like she needs it since she is on Jeeves' bed, but he respects personal space.

"_Lester, can yew help me wash ma back?_" Jeeves shouts from down the hallway.

Glory already has one leg dangling over the side of the bed, ready to follow Lester wherever he goes, and he shakes his head.

"_Stay here, Glory. Finish up yer drawin' an' I'll come get ya in a couple o' minutes._"

Glory frowns, but she begins to scribble blue under the turtle, her concentration going from one thing to another within seconds. Lester takes note of that.

The middle brother heads out to tend to the youngest brother, and Glory gets restless.

She plays with three different toys, eats the two pieces of candy that Jeeves left in one of his jeans, and she pins a yellow bow in her hair with the ribbon she found under the bed.

Glory resists and obeys for a long as she can, but she finds herself in the kitchen a moment later, sticking her hand in a box of cereal. She sits with her legs dangling over the edge of the counter when she hears a wrench clatter to the ground in the garage. She looks out the window to see Darwin with his upper body under the bumper of the Pontiac, belly up.

She glances at the guest bathroom and then she looks back to Darwin.

Glory does this twice before she is sitting on the workbench in the garage, munching on cereal with one hand while holding the crescent wrench up to the light with her other hand.

Darwin does not notice that she is here until he reaches for the wrench to discover that it is no longer on the floor beside him.

"_What the…_" he complains.

He slides out from under the car to see Glory dropping crumbs on the floor and she dusts her hand on her flannel shirt.

"_Hi! What's this for?_" she asks.

Darwin slightly narrows his eyes, reaching over to yank the crescent wrench out of her hand.

"_I need to change the oil pan. It has a leak in it because I sped over a large rock on the road. It punctured the pan_," he calmly explains.

He slides back under the bumper, paying no attention to the little imp.

Glory looks at the other tools hanging on the pegboard, wondering why there are so many. She hops off the workbench to wander the garage and she finds herself in the front seat of the Pontiac, trying to spin the locked steering wheel.

Unexpectedly, she presses her small palm against the wheel, honking the horn. Darwin hits his forehead against the loose pan and he slides back out, smearing grease on his head. He spins around, looking at Glory through the dirty glass.

"_What the hell are you doin'? Get outta there_" he beckons her out of the car.

Glory slips her fingers in her mouth, hesitantly placing one bare foot on the cold cement and then the other. Darwin tosses the dirty rag on the hood of the car, placing his hands on his hips.

He stares down at her, tall and menacing.

"_Why did Jeeves have to bring you here in the first place? All you're good at is gettin' in the way and makin' messes. You're a drain on our resources, time…_"

Darwin goes quiet when he sees her bottom lip quiver.

He looks her over to read her body language. Glory is small and shivering, and wide-eyed with her fingers in her mouth. Darwin exhales, lowering his blue eyes.

He nods to the house, keeping his gaze off her.

"_Head back into the house. I should be done soon._"

Darwin slides back under the bumper of the car, continuing to work alone.

Lester hands Jeeves a towel to wrap around his waist and he slightly closes the door to give them some privacy. Jeeves grips the towel wrack, shaking the water off his body as if he were a bear emerging from a lake after an evening of catching fish. Lester chuckles; shielding his face from the spray and Jeeves takes the towel, wrapping it around his lower half.

The horn goes off; and Lester opens the door and he looks at the window.

He does not see or hear anything, so he goes back to helping his baby brother.

Jeeves gets suited in his pajamas for the rest of the afternoon.

When he is fully covered in soft clothing, Lester lets him out into the hallway.

"_I left her in yer bedroom,_" Lester nods to the right.

Jeeves leaves his brother to clean the bathroom and wipe the steam off the mirror, and when he opens the door, he does not see Glory. Jeeves sniffs the air, stepping into the bedroom to find a better smell of her, but he still cannot find her. He sees the drawing of the turtle and nothing else.

Lester is on his knees, scrubbing the edge of the bathtub when Jeeves returns to him.

"_She ain't in ma bedroom._"

Jeeves looks over his bulky shoulder, wondering if she went back upstairs.

Lester gets up from the floor, pulling his latex gloves off. He furrows his eyebrows, distinctly remembering that he told her to stay there.

"_Did ya check the other two floors?_"

Jeeves shakes his head, and Lester heads out to check the first floor while Jeeves searches the other two floors. They look under beds, behind doors and in bathrooms. Glory is nowhere to be found. Half an hour later, Darwin comes back in from the garage, and Jeeves and Lester are standing in the living room, trying to figure out where she might have went.

"_There a problem?_" Darwin asks.

Lester turns to address him, worry painted on his face.

"_Yeah, I told Glory ta stay in Jeeves' bedroom, but she went missin' almost an hour ago. Did ya see her outside anywhere?_"

Lester is about to grab his jacket when Darwin grabs his wrist without looking.

"_Shit_" Darwin mutters.

"_What?_" Jeeves wonders.

Darwin relaxes his grip, grabbing his jacket.

"_Glory was in the garage earlier and I might have been a little too harsh with her. This was my doin', so I'm gonna be the one to bring her back home._"

Jeeves stares out the window, pacing back and forth like an anxious dog waiting for its owner to return home. Lester recalls the horn being honked in the garage, realizing what must have started the confrontation. He meets the gaze of his brother, realizing that he does need to do this to make it right with her.

"_If yew don't find her in an hour, we're goin' out there ta look fer her, too_" Jeeves says.

Darwin takes one of the two-way radios, and he heads out the door to search for Glory.


End file.
